Striking nurses have refuted a claim made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, that their warning strike in public hospitals and other health facilities has been called off.
The National Public Relations Officer for the Federal Health Institutions sector of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM-FHI), Omomo Tibiebi, clarified that the strike, which began last Wednesday, is still in effect.
He insisted that the union has not suspended the industrial action.
“The strike has not been suspended,” Tibiebi said.
“Earlier today, NANNM executives held a meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and it was the minister who went to the press to claim the strike had been called off.
“But he wasn’t the one who called the strike in the first place, so he has no right to declare it suspended. The strike is still on,” he added.
He further disclosed that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) would convene on Saturday to assess the Federal Government’s offers and decide the next line of action.
“There will be a NEC meeting tomorrow (Saturday), and that’s when a decision will be made. We will then determine if what the Federal Government has promised is sufficient for us to suspend the strike,” he said.
Persecondnews reported that the nurses had embarked on the warning strike last Wednesday, July 30 to press for several demands, including an upward review of shift allowances, adjustment of uniform allowances, and the establishment of a distinct salary structure for nurses.
Other demands include an increase in core duty allowance, mass recruitment of nurses, and the creation of a dedicated nursing department within the Federal Ministry of Health.
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